The freshmen faces we see roaming the college campus each year is steadily changing. Don’t be mistaken: for the first few months on campus, freshmen still share their perpetual doe eyed and perplexed looks. Nevertheless, the eye color and shape, their skin tone and accents reveal an assortment of varied backgrounds.

Much like God’s Kingdom, the college campus today holds a variety of students from different nations, socio-economic statuses and backgrounds. Each of these realities God has used in their story to shape who they are. And each has the opportunity to respond to the greatest news they will ever hear. Many students will witness the scandalous nature of the gospel: that we can be brought back into a relationship with God, and that the doors to God’s Kingdom are open for all who would trust in Christ.

Our vision for the college campus goes beyond the college campus; our vision for the college campus extends to the ends of the world. We long to see God save a few students for the sake of the many across the globe that could potentially hear the good news and respond in faith.

God has always had His sights set on the nations; we’re just joining in His work. Even in the Old Testament, it was “too light a thing” that God’s saving power would be reserved for just the Israelites; He set his heart to make His people “a light for the nations that [His] salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

So when we see the perplexed brown eyed, caramel colored freshman international student brush past us on the sidewalk, we don’t just see a freshman from another country. We see the story he holds, the hopes he desires and the potential of the nations being reach for Christ.

The freshmen faces we see roaming the college campuses each year are steadily changing. Perhaps now more than ever there is greater opportunity to export men and woman of various shades, backgrounds and experiences into the world for Christ’s sake?